The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 81 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earned the Kirkus Star with publication dates between November 1, 2014, and October 31, 2015, are automatically nominated for the 2015 Kirkus Prize, and the winners will be selected on October 23, 2015, by an esteemed panel composed of nationally respected writers and highly regarded booksellers, librarians and Kirkus critics.

KIRKUS REVIEW

A diverse collection of excellent poems and stories offers readers insight into the experiences of contemporary young American Indians. The 80 selections, primarily poetry, are by writers from age 13 to 22, and were solicited from all over the country. Some have been published previously; all exhibit the talent of established or future writers. The selections vary widely in style, from Lateachia Pemma’s rap-like “Mom’s Fry Bread” (“The wait for Mom’s fry bread is long / but it’s worth it, when your mom’s fry bread / is the Bomb!”) to Sonia Manriquez imagistic “Dark Waters” (“When I look / into my grandmother’s eyes / I see her standing / in a steam-filled kitchen / making tortillas / for twelve hungry mouths / as rivers of sweat / mixed with tears / fall down her face / when she realizes / she is all alone”). While details often mark these selections as “American Indian,” at the heart of each piece is something else: the life experience that called each writer to write. This, above all else, is what makes the collection powerful, and is what will make it a welcome addition to any teen collection of writing anthologies. (Nonfiction. 12+)

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